Luke — Chapter 13
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1There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
2And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?
3I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
4Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
5I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
6He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.
7Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?
8And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:
9And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.
10And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.
11And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.
12And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.
13And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
14And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.
15The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?
16And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?
17And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.
18Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it?
19It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.
20And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God?
21It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
22And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.
23Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
24Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
25When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
26Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
27But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
28There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
29And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
30And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.
31The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee.
32And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.
33Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.
34O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!
35Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
1Now there were some present at that very season who told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
2And he answered and said unto them, Think ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they have suffered these things?
3I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner perish.
4Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them, think ye that they were offenders above all the men that dwell in Jerusalem?
5I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
6And he spake this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit thereon, and found none.
7And he said unto the vinedresser, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why doth it also cumber the ground?
8And he answering saith unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:
9and if it bear fruit thenceforth, [well]; but if not, thou shalt cut it down.
10And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath day.
11And behold, a woman that had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years; and she was bowed together, and could in no wise lift herself up.
12And when Jesus saw her, he called her, and said to her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.
13And he laid his hands upon her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
14And the ruler of the synagogue, being moved with indignation because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, answered and said to the multitude, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the day of the sabbath.
15But the Lord answered him, and said, Ye hypocrites, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?
16And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound, lo, [these] eighteen years, to have been loosed from this bond on the day of the sabbath?
17And as he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame: and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.
18He said therefore, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I liken it?
19It is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his own garden; and it grew, and became a tree; and the birds of the heaven lodged in the branches thereof.
20And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God?
21It is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened.
22And he went on his way through cities and villages, teaching, and journeying on unto Jerusalem.
23And one said unto him, Lord, are they few that are saved? And he said unto them,
24Strive to enter in by the narrow door: for many, I say unto you, shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
25When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, open to us; and he shall answer and say to you, I know you not whence ye are;
26then shall ye begin to say, We did eat and drink in thy presence, and thou didst teach in our streets;
27and he shall say, I tell you, I know not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
28There shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and yourselves cast forth without.
29And they shall come from the east and west, and from the north and south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
30And behold, there are last who shall be first, and there are first who shall be last.
31In that very hour there came certain Pharisees, saying to him, Get thee out, and go hence: for Herod would fain kill thee.
32And he said unto them, Go and say to that fox, Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures to-day and to-morrow, and the third [day] I am perfected.
33Nevertheless I must go on my way to-day and to-morrow and the [day] following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.
34O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen [gathereth] her own brood under her wings, and ye would not!
35Behold, your house is left unto you [desolate]: and I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
1Now there were some present on that occasion who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.
2He answered them, “Do you think these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered these things?
3No, I tell you! But unless you repent, you will all perish as well!
4Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower in Siloam fell on them, do you think they were worse offenders than all the others who live in Jerusalem?
5No, I tell you! But unless you repent you will all perish as well!”
6Then Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none.
7So he said to the worker who tended the vineyard, ‘For three years now, I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and each time I inspect it I find none. Cut it down! Why should it continue to deplete the soil?’
8But the worker answered him, ‘Sir, leave it alone this year too, until I dig around it and put fertilizer on it.
9Then if it bears fruit next year, very well, but if not, you can cut it down.’”
10Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath,
11and a woman was there who had been disabled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten herself up completely.
12When Jesus saw her, he called her to him and said, “Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.”
13Then he placed his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.
14But the president of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the crowd, “There are six days on which work should be done! So come and be healed on those days, and not on the Sabbath day.”
15Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from its stall and lead it to water?
16Then shouldn’t this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be released from this imprisonment on the Sabbath day?”
17When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated, but the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things he was doing.
18Thus Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what should I compare it?
19It is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the wild birds nested in its branches.”
20Again he said, “To what should I compare the kingdom of God?
21It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all the dough had risen.”
22Then Jesus traveled throughout towns and villages, teaching and making his way toward Jerusalem.
23Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” So he said to them,
24“Exert every effort to enter through the narrow door because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.
25Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, then you will stand outside and start to knock on the door and beg him, ‘Lord, let us in!’ But he will answer you, ‘I don’t know where you come from.’
26Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’
27But he will reply, ‘I don’t know where you come from! Go away from me, all you evildoers!’
28There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves thrown out.
29Then people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and take their places at the banquet table in the kingdom of God.
30But indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
31At that time, some Pharisees came up and said to Jesus, “Get away from here because Herod wants to kill you.”
32But he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Look, I am casting out demons and performing healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will complete my work.
33Nevertheless I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the next day, because it is impossible that a prophet should be killed outside Jerusalem.’
34O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it!
35Look, your house is forsaken! And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
1Now there were some present at the same time who told him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.
2Jesus answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered such things?
3I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way.
4Or those eighteen, on whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them; do you think that they were worse offenders than all the men who dwell in Jerusalem?
5I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way.”
6He spoke this parable. “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it, and found none.
7He said to the vine dresser, ‘Behold, these three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and found none. Cut it down. Why does it waste the soil?’
8He answered, ‘Lord, leave it alone this year also, until I dig around it, and fertilize it.
9If it bears fruit, fine; but if not, after that, you can cut it down.’”
10He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day.
11Behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and she was bent over, and could in no way straighten herself up.
12When Jesus saw her, he called her, and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.”
13He laid his hands on her, and immediately she stood up straight, and glorified God.
14The ruler of the synagogue, being indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the multitude, “There are six days in which men ought to work. Therefore come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day!”
15Therefore the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each one of you free his ox or his donkey from the stall on the Sabbath, and lead him away to water?
16Ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound eighteen long years, be freed from this bondage on the Sabbath day?”
17As he said these things, all his adversaries were disappointed, and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.
18He said, “What is God’s Kingdom like? To what shall I compare it?
19It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and put in his own garden. It grew, and became a large tree, and the birds of the sky live in its branches.”
20Again he said, “To what shall I compare God’s Kingdom?
21It is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”
22He went on his way through cities and villages, teaching, and traveling on to Jerusalem.
23One said to him, “Lord, are they few who are saved?” He said to them,
24“Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter in, and will not be able.
25When once the master of the house has risen up, and has shut the door, and you begin to stand outside, and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ then he will answer and tell you, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’
26Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’
27He will say, ‘I tell you, I don’t know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity.’
28There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets, in God’s Kingdom, and yourselves being thrown outside.
29They will come from the east, west, north, and south, and will sit down in God’s Kingdom.
30Behold, there are some who are last who will be first, and there are some who are first who will be last.”
31On that same day, some Pharisees came, saying to him, “Get out of here, and go away, for Herod wants to kill you.”
32He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I complete my mission.
33Nevertheless I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the next day, for it can’t be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.’
34“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, like a hen gathers her own brood under her wings, and you refused!
35Behold, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
Summary
Jesus calls for repentance in light of sudden calamity, tells the parable of the barren fig tree, heals a crippled woman on the Sabbath, teaches that the kingdom starts small like a mustard seed, and laments over Jerusalem's rejection.
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Siloam (v.4): A tower near the Pool of Siloam in southeast Jerusalem that fell and killed 18 people. Jesus uses this local tragedy as a lesson on repentance.
- A synagogue (v.10): Jesus healed the crippled woman in a synagogue — likely on the route through Perea or Judea.
- Jerusalem (v.34): Jesus laments over Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets — the destination He is heading toward.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik examines the call to repentance, the barren fig tree, the bent woman's healing, the kingdom parables, and the narrow door teaching.
- Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "Except Ye Repent" on v.3 (MTP Vol. 10, No. 574) "Except ye repent — not 'except ye are baptized,' not 'except ye join a church,' not 'except ye reform your behavior' — except ye REPENT. Repentance is the one non-negotiable. Without it, all religion is worthless. With it, the worst sinner finds mercy." Sermon: "The Narrow Gate" on v.24 (MTP Vol. 22, No. 1307) "Strive — the Greek is 'agonize.' This is not casual interest. This is not 'I'll get around to it.' This is the urgency of a man whose house is on fire. The gate is narrow, and it will be shut. Enter now."
Reflection
- 1. "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (v.3). Jesus doesn't answer the question about others' guilt — He redirects to personal responsibility. Stop comparing yourself to others and ask: have I repented? Is there unrepented sin in my life right now?
- 2. The barren fig tree was given one more year of grace (v.8). God is patient — but patience has a limit. If you've been fruitless — spiritually unproductive, going through the motions — this is your "one more year." What fruit is God looking for in your life?
- 3. Jesus healed the bent woman on the Sabbath and called out the hypocrisy of those who cared more about rules than people (v.15). Where might you be prioritizing religious correctness over compassion for hurting people?
- 4. "Strive to enter in at the strait gate" (v.24). Following Christ requires effort, intentionality, and urgency. Are you striving or coasting? What would "agonizing" to enter look like in your daily life?
- 5. The crowd assumed the Galileans died because they were worse sinners (v.2). We still make this assumption — "bad things happen to bad people." How does Jesus' correction change how you view suffering and tragedy?
- 6. The vinedresser intercedes for the barren tree — "let it alone this year also" (v.8). Christ intercedes for you. How does knowing that Jesus advocates for you before the Father affect your confidence and gratitude?
- 7. Many will say "Lord, Lord" and claim association with Jesus but be turned away (vv.25-27). What is the difference between knowing about Jesus and being known by Him? Which describes your relationship?
- 8. "There are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last" (v.30). The kingdom inverts human expectations. Who do you expect to see in heaven that might surprise you? Who might be surprised to see you?
- 9. Jesus wept over Jerusalem's rejection (v.34) — "I would have gathered you... and ye would not." God's desire is to gather and protect. The barrier is human refusal. Where are you saying "I will not" to God's gathering love?